Throttle control is very important when driving on snow. While it is similar to driving on sand, you need to use your right boot to steer the vehicle rather than using sharp steering movements. Back off the throttle before a corner, gently steer into it, and then reapply throttle to straighten the vehicle up. Sounds weird, but it works a treat.
Tyre pressures are critical, and something you might have to play with throughout the your. Once the tracks turned to clay, I go as low as 16psi to gain as much grip as possible. The moral of the story? Don’t be afraid to experiment with tyre pressures on a trip such as this with varying terrain. You will be amazed at the difference in traction available, and best of all adjusting tyre pressure doesn’t cost you a cent!
Engage Four-Wheel Drive! Sounds simple, but if you forget to engage four-wheel drive, you could find yourself losing control on a bend in the track, or even sliding backwards down a steep climb as your vehicle fails to gain traction. Patches of slushy mud and deep snow presented themselves at random, so having the vehicle in high-range at most times while on the tracks definitely saved our bacon on a few occasions.
Smooth steering inputs will give you control on the snow. If you get a little grumpy with your steering action, you could find the vehicle understeering through corners. Not ideal! Learn to use your throttle (as previously mentioned) and steering wheel in tandem. A technique that requires some skill to master, but as they say… practice makes perfect.
Buy alpine diesel! This is a mistake you only want to make once, as your vehicle will be particularly unhappy with you come morning when you attempt to kick it over.
Lift your windscreen wipers off the vehicle’s windscreen before stopping for the night. This is something all the locals we saw did religiously; otherwise your wipers will be stuck to the windscreen come morning.
